What is lung cancer?
Lung cancer starts when abnormal cells grow and multiply in an uncontrolled way. Cancer that begins in the lungs is called primary lung cancer. If cancer begins in another part of the body and spreads to the lungs it is know as secondary or metastatic cancer in the lung.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death and the fifth most common cancer diagnosed in Australia excluding non-melanoma cancers. It is responsible for almost one in five cancer deaths in Australia.
It is estimated that more than 14,700 people were diagnosed with lung cancer in 2023. The average age at diagnosis is 72 years old.
Lung cancer is the fifth most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia, and it is estimated that one in 20 people will be diagnosed by the time they are 85.
There are two main types of lung cancer:
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
Non-small cell lung cancer is the most common type of lung cancer, accounting for around 85% of cases. There are sub-types of non-small cell lung cancer. The most common are:
adenocarcinoma - begins in mucus-producing cells and makes up about 40% of lung cancers. While this type of lung cancer is most commonly diagnosed in current or former smokers, it is also the most common lung cancer in non-smokers.
squamous cell (epidermoid) carcinoma - commonly develops in the larger airways of the lung.
large cell undifferentiated carcinoma - can appear in any part of the lung and are not clearly squamous cell or adenocarcinoma.
Lung cancer signs and symptoms
Symptoms of lung cancer may include:
· shortness of breath
· changes to the voice such as hoarseness
· chest pain
· coughing or spitting up blood
· a new cough that does not go away
· chest infection that lasts more than three weeks or keeps coming back
· enlarged fingertips
· loss of appetite
· unexplained weight loss
· tiredness.
epressive disorder (also known as depression) is a common mental disorder. It involves a depressed mood or loss of pleasure or interest in activities for long periods of time.
Depression is different from regular mood changes and feelings about everyday life. It can affect all aspects of life, including relationships with family, friends and community. It can result from or lead to problems at school and at work.
Depression can happen to anyone. People who have lived through abuse, severe losses or other stressful events are more likely to develop depression. Women are more likely to have Depression Treatment than men.
An estimated 3.8% of the population experience depression, including 5% of adults (4% among men and 6% among women), and 5.7% of adults older than 60 years. Approximately 280 million people in the world have depression (1). Depression is about 50% more common among women than among men. Worldwide, more than 10% of pregnant women and women who have just given birth experience depression (2). More than 700 000 people die due to suicide every year. Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death in 15–29-year-olds.
Although there are known, effective treatments for mental disorders, more than 75% of people in low- and middle-income countries receive no treatment (3). Barriers to effective care include a lack of investment in mental health care, lack of trained health-care providers and social stigma associated with mental disorders.
Symptoms and patterns
During a depressive episode, a person experiences a depressed mood (feeling sad, irritable, empty). They may feel a loss of pleasure or interest in activities.
A depressive episode is different from regular mood fluctuations. They last most of the day, nearly every day, for at least two weeks.
Other symptoms are also present, which may include:
poor concentration
feelings of excessive guilt or low self-worth
hopelessness about the future
thoughts about dying or suicide
disrupted sleep
changes in appetite or weight
feeling very tired or low in energy.
Depression can cause difficulties in all aspects of life, including in the community and at home, work and school.
A depressive episode can be categorized as mild, moderate, or severe depending on the number and severity of symptoms, as well as the impact on the individual’s functioning.
There are different patterns of depressive episodes including:
single episode depressive disorder, meaning the person’s first and only episode;
recurrent depressive disorder, meaning the person has a history of at least two depressive episodes; and
bipolar disorder, meaning that depressive episodes alternate with periods of manic symptoms, which include euphoria or irritability, increased activity or energy, and other symptoms such as increased talkativeness, racing thoughts, increased self-esteem, decreased need for sleep, distractibility, and impulsive reckless behaviour.
Prognosis for Lung Cancer
Lung cancer has a poor prognosis. On average, people with untreated advanced non–small cell lung cancer survive 6 months. Even with treatment, people with extensive small cell lung cancer or advanced non–small cell lung cancer do especially poorly, with a 5-year survival rate of less than 1%. Early diagnosis improves survival. People with early non–small cell lung cancer have a 5-year survival of 50 to 70%. However, people who are treated definitively for an earlier stage lung cancer and survive but continue to smoke are at high risk of developing another lung cancer.
Survivors must have regular checkups, including periodic chest x-rays and CT scans to ensure that the cancer has not returned. Usually, if the cancer returns, it occurs within the first 2 years. However, frequent monitoring is recommended for 5 years after lung cancer treatment, and then people are monitored yearly for the rest of their lives.
Because many people die of lung cancer, planning for terminal care is usually necessary. Advances in end-of-life care, particularly the recognition that anxiety and pain are common in people with incurable lung cancer and that these symptoms can be relieved by appropriate drugs, have led to an increasing number of people being able to die comfortably at home, with or without hospice services
The symptoms of lung cancer depend on its type, its location, and the way it spreads within the lungs, to areas near the lungs, or elsewhere in the body. Some people have no symptoms at the time of diagnosis.
One of the more common symptoms is a persistent cough or, in people who have a chronic cough, a change in the character of the cough. Some people cough up blood or sputum streaked with blood (hemoptysis). Rarely, lung cancer grows into an underlying blood vessel and causes severe bleeding.
Additional nonspecific symptoms of lung cancer include loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue, chest pain, and weakness.
Complications of lung cancer
Lung cancer may narrow the airway, causing wheezing. If a tumor blocks an airway, part of the lung that the airway supplies may collapse, a condition called atelectasis. Other consequences of a blocked airway are shortness of breath and pneumonia, which may result in coughing, fever, and chest pain.
If the tumor grows into the chest wall, it may cause persistent, unrelenting chest pain. Fluid containing cancerous cells can accumulate in the space between the lung and the chest wall (a condition referred to as malignant pleural effusion). Large amounts of fluid can lead to shortness of breath and chest pain. If the cancer spreads throughout the lungs, the levels of oxygen in the blood become low, causing shortness of breath and eventually enlargement of the right side of the heart and possible heart failure (a disorder called cor pulmonale).
Lung cancer may grow into certain nerves in the neck, causing a droopy eyelid, small pupil, and reduced perspiration on one side of the face—together these symptoms are called Horner syndrome.
Cancers at the top of the lung may grow into the nerves that supply the arm, making the arm or shoulder painful, numb, and weak. Tumors in this location are often called Pancoast tumors. When the tumor grows into nerves in the center of the chest, the nerve to the voice box may become damaged, making the voice hoarse, and the nerve to the diaphragm may become damaged, causing shortness of breath and low blood oxygen levels.
Lung cancer may grow into or near the esophagus, leading to difficulty swallowing or pain with swallowing.
Lung cancer may grow into the heart or in the midchest (mediastinal) region, causing abnormal heart rhythms, blockage of blood flow into the heart, or fluid in the sac surrounding the heart (pericardial sac).
The cancer may grow into or compress one of the large veins in the chest (the superior vena cava). This condition is called superior vena cava syndrome. Blockage of the superior vena cava causes blood to back up in other veins of the upper body. The veins in the chest wall enlarge. The face, neck, and upper chest wall—including the breasts—can swell, causing pain, and become flushed. The condition can also cause shortness of breath, headache, distorted vision, dizziness, and drowsiness. These symptoms usually worsen when the person bends forward or lies down.
Lung cancer may also spread through the bloodstream to other parts of the body, most commonly the liver, brain, adrenal glands, spinal cord, or bones. The spread of lung cancer may occur early in the course of disease, especially with small cell lung cancer. Symptoms—such as headache, confusion, seizures, and bone pain—may develop before any lung problems become evident, making an early diagnosis more complicated.
What is Psilocybin Mushrooms?
While there are many types of mushrooms in the world, a few varieties contain a chemical called psilocybin, which can have hallucinogenic effects when ingested.1 Psilocybin mushrooms are native to Central and North America, in countries that include Mexico and the United States.1
While these mushrooms have been used for centuries by indigenous populations for religious and social rites, they became widely used as part of the counterculture movement of the 1960s until they were made illegal in 1968.2
Psilocybin mushrooms may also be called:1,2
Hallucinogenic mushrooms
Magic mushrooms
Shrooms
Psychedelic mushrooms
Though some proponents urge further investigation into psilocybin for potential therapeutic benefits, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) currently lists mushrooms as a Schedule I substance.1,3 Schedule I drugs have a high risk for abuse, no known medical benefits, and are not approved for any use, even under the care of a doctor.1
Psilocybin Mushrooms Effects
Psilocybin interacts with our brain’s serotonergic neurotransmitter system in a way thought to underlie the various physiological and hallucinogenic effects associated with the drug.2,3 Many factors can influence the effects of the drug, including:2
The potency or amount of mushrooms ingested.
Prior experiences with mushrooms.
Your personality.
The setting you are in when you take the drug.
Your mental state at the time of ingestion.
Psilocybin Mushroom Overdose and Withdrawal
Since mushrooms are grown naturally and not synthesized in a lab, it is difficult to monitor and regulate the dosage. It is estimated that a lethal dose would be 1,000 times that of an effective dose, making it highly unlikely for someone to overdose on mushrooms unless an underlying health condition existed.
With no significant physiological dependence associated with the drug, withdrawal is not likely, although it may take a day or two to feel normal after ingesting mushrooms. You may feel lingering effects of the mushrooms, like feeling tired or having difficulty discerning fantasy or dreams from reality.